DHEA; The Most Underrated Supplement For Women?

Have you ever noticed if a supplement, drug, etc is tried in men, and fails to work, it’s written off as being ineffective? Although improving, it’s well known that men have been the standard subjects in research, with the results often being applied to women as an afterthought. In recent years, that situation has improved and women are viewed as the physiologically distinct people they are from men, and studies looking at specific effects in women – using women as the test subjects – has grown dramatically. That’s the good news at least. The bad news is, there’s still plenty of research out there done on men, being applied to women, sometimes to the detriment of women. Obviously, men and women are not so different that a great deal of research fails to be perfectly applicable to both sexes, but the fact remains a great deal of prior research was done looking at men, and the results, good or bad, applied to women more as an after thought.

Such is the case with DHEA in my view…

What is it?

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has been around as a supplement for a long time, so I’m not going to go into great depth on in this article as there’s a ton of info out there already on DHEA and it’s fully covered in my ebooks. To quickly summarize: DHEA is a hormone produced primarily in the adrenal glands with minor amounts produced by the testes. It is found in both men and women. DHEA is the most abundant steroid hormone in the human body, and like all steroid hormones, ultimately comes from cholesterol. Most DHEA in the body is found as DHEA-sulphate (DHEA-S). DHEA is a major precursor to other steroid hormones. That’s the basic run down of DHEA.

From a strictly health perspective…

From a strictly health perspective – for those deficient due to aging or other causes – DHEA appears beneficial when used as a supplement for general health and well being in both sexes. It’s well established that DHEA levels fall off as we age, and the research on health uses of DHEA justifies using small amounts to counter this age related drop off or deficiencies from other causes. DHEA levels rise slowly till they peak at around 30 years of age, and decline steadily after age 35, with levels reduced by 70-80% by age 75. This effect is one of the most consistent and predictable changes in aging known with lower endogenous levels of DHEA/DHEA-sulfate found in advancing age strongly correlated with a myriad of health conditions best avoided.(1) For example, levels of DHEA and or DHEA-s in older men is strongly predictive of death by cardio vascular disease .(2)

Only blood tests will tell a person what their DHEA/DHEA-s levels are and where they are compared to others in their age group. As this is not an article focused on the potential health benefits of DHEA in deficient populations, that’s all I’m going to say on the matter here.

What about DHEA as a “muscle builder” in healthy young men?

DHEA often gets marketed as a “muscle builder” to men. As a muscle building supplement in young healthy men, DHEA is essentially worthless, and high intakes may in fact be counter–productive to gaining muscle as high doses also cause an increase in estrogen and the effects on testosterone are minimal. Studies have been conflicting in this area at best, and most “real world” users report no improvements in strength, muscle mass, etc from using DHEA. So, for healthy young men with normal DHEA levels, it’s a bust as a “muscle builder” due to the fact it converts to testosterone poorly and raises estrogens levels when used at high doses.

“What About Us Women Will?!”

OK, this finally brings us to women and DHEA after the long winded intro above, but finally, here we are! Although the research in men using DHEA has been unimpressive and contradictory, such is not the case with women. In women, research using DHEA is much more consistent and compelling and there appears to be some gender specific responses to DHEA use.(3)
As a supplement that can improve mood, libido, memory, and possibly alter body composition (i.e., increase muscle, improve bone density, and reduce bodyfat), DHEA appears to be a winner for women. Most of the research has been done in DHEA deficient populations, but data – and real world experience- suggests it’s also a benefit to women not medically deficient in this hormone. Although the benefits of this hormone to women comes predomently from its conversion to testosterone, it also appears some of the effects may be due to other mechanisms.(4). One recent study concluded:

“The use of DHEA therapy may also be discussed in women of any age when a trial of androgen supplementation seems justified because of the existence of an inhibited sexual desire or a sexual arousal disorder associated with documented androgen deficiency. The rather weak conversion of DHEA into testosterone protects from the risk of overdosing associated with testosterone preparations.”

Side Bar: Testosterone myths. Testosterone is often viewed as a “male” hormone. Although testosterone is the dominant androgen in men, it’s a hormone essential to the health and well being of both sexes, just as men produce and require some estrogen. How important can this hormone be to women? Karlis Ullis, MD, a faculty member of the UCLA School of Medicine, who treats women with hormone imbalances states:

“It is clear to me, both from my clinical practice and from research, that testosterone is vital for women to preserve their lean mass and to prevent obesity. Not only will testosterone help mobilize body fat and negate some of the fat storing effects of estrogen, it is also extremely effective in building lean mass in women – even at small doses. Hormone replacement therapy that only includes estrogen and progesterone but leaves out testosterone is a curse of many a women’s fat loss program. This is not only a concern for postmenopausal women. Young women should think twice about using birth control pills. Birth control pills elevate estrogen and progesterone levels while drastically lowering testosterone levels. This is reason why many women experience large gains in fat as well as a decreased libido when using birth control pills.”

In women with established adrenal insufficiency, studies find 50mg DHEA corrects low serum concentrations of DHEA/DHEA-S, and brings testosterone into the “normal” range. With one recent study finding “DHEA treatment significantly improved overall wellbeing as well as scores for depression, anxiety, and their physical correlates. Furthermore, DHEA significantly increased both sexual interest and the level of satisfaction with sex.”(5)

Side Effects

Are there any side effects to DHEA use for women? Generally, they are easily dealt with by lowering the dose and “… are mostly mild and related to androgenic activity of DHEA in women and include increased sebum production, facial acne, and changes in hair status.” (6)

In my experience, the above is related to dose. The low-normal dose recommended (see below) rarely if ever causes side effects, but there’s no free lunch in biology, and adjusting any hormone up or down, comes with potential for side effects along with the benefits. The issue – as in the case with any drug, supplement, etc – is whether the benefits outweigh the risks/side effects. As the (potential) benefits of DHEA high, and the side effects at best mild to non existent, my opinion is the risk/benefit ratio is very much in favor of using DHEA, but everyone has to decide for themselves on that score.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Believe me, there’s a lot more research I could cover, but I hope the above covers the essential points regarding DHEA and it’s potential value to women specifically. So, let’s sum it all up: For women over 40, or those with diagnosed adrenal insufficiency (AI), DHEA could be of considerable value to general well being as well as libido, mood, etc. Typical doses are 25 – 50mg and working with a medical professional to fine tune dosages is recommended.

For “normal” women under 40, and or have not been diagnosed with AI, 25 – 50mg seems to do the trick, and starting at the lower dose and assessing over a few months is recommended. Most women will notice improvements in mood, libido, and possibly muscle mass and or bodyfat, at lower doses. The effect is increased at higher doses, but possible side effects mentioned above also become more common. At 50-100mg+, DHEA does act as a mild anabolic agent in women in my experience, and I have seen some fairly impressive results of increased muscle mass and decreased bodyfat at the higher doses, but it’s not dramatic compared to other anabolic hormones used by some female athletes. High doses of DHEA will also elevate estrogen levels, so that too should be kept in mind.

Will Brink is the owner of the Brinkzone Blog. Will has over 15 years experience as a respected author, columnist and consultant, to the supplement, fitness, bodybuilding, and weight loss industry and has been extensively published. Will graduated from Harvard University with a concentration in the natural sciences, and is a consultant to major supplement, dairy, and pharmaceutical companies.

His often ground breaking articles can be found in publications such as Lets Live, Muscle Media 2000, MuscleMag International, The Life Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise For Men Only, Body International, Power, Oxygen, Penthouse, Women’s World and The Townsend Letter For Doctors.

this is really interesting and raises a bunch of questions for me as a figure competitor age 42. What dosage level was it where you saw the impressive gains in lean mass for women? Is it at the 50 – 100 dosage level where the saw the impressive results? Is that a high dosage? What are the side effects? And forgive my ignorance but it this a legal supp that passes the muster of say, the INBF? Can you take this safely on a regular basis (i.e., creatine, fish oil and now, DHEA) or does on go on and off? Thanks for this!

Kathleen, if you read the article closely, I think you will find most of your questions answered. I'm not sure what the INBF policy is on that. That's something you will have to track down. I'm sure they have a list of what's banned, etc on their web site or some other place.

7-oxo-DHEA (also known as 7-keto-DHEA), 7alpha-hydroxy-DHEA (7alphaOH-DHEA) and 7beta-hydroxy-DHEA (7beta-OH-DHEA) are not banned by the WNBF or INBF when used for weight loss. Although hormonal metabolites of DHEA, they do not elevate testosterone levels and can be used by WNBF or INBF athletes.

Thanks, Will. I am almost 55, a female, and work with an alternative MD who orders blood tests every six months. All my hormones are shot, so he has me taking a variety of bioidenticals, plus DHEA. Worth noting: Not all brands of DHEA are effective. I took a store brand from a chain vitamin store (which will remain nameless) last year and my doc was dismayed with the results. I'd been taking 50 mg of this brand and, after checking my blood last December, he was still unhappy with my DHEA levels. He emphasized the need for taking a quality, reliable brand of DHEA. Life Extension willn no doubt fit that bill (although I do use what he recommended, from Pure Encapsulations.) He says 10 mg at bedtime should do it. We'll see in June!

Lindy, all doses = once per day. Start at lowest recommended dose, and assess from there. Blood work is always the best way to assess objective changes, but subjective changes such as mood, etc are of course worth noting too. Good luck.

Very helpful, thanks. Something else I was noticing…When I did a search of DHEA, a lot of 7-Keto info came up. I noticed some products, like Life Extension's, have 7-Keto DHEA and some just have 7-Keto, like Beverly International's 7-Keto Musclean, which I already take. Should I add DHEA or am I already getting it?

7-keto is a different animal. It's reported advantage is that it does not convert to sex hormones, so it would not replace DHEA as described above. Looks modestly effective as a weight loss agent, but I have not seen any recent data on 7-keto. I cover 7-keto in my ebooks, so you might want to consider one or both as they cover pretty much every supplement on the market and come with private forums to ask questions etc.

I'm wondering if you would recommend the brand Vita Plus? I ordered 25mg DHEA by Schiff from an online store but they only had Vita Plus. I attempted to check online for quality reports on this company but have been unable to find any.
Thanks,
Gina

Gave it a try i am loving it! I am a recreational trainer and I can notice a nice difference in training and overall well being. The only question I have is should I add any product like DIM/I3C for breast health/female health. Thanks again.

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October 18, 2011 06:06 pm

I like the helpful information you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and check again right here regularly. I’m fairly certain I’ll learn many new stuff proper right here! Best of luck for the following!

You were 100% correct. DHEA is amazing. I have been on it for only 9 days and I feel wonderful. I purchased Finest brand and I am starting off at 25 mg. The only side effect that I have felt,is that I am a little over emotional during the middle of my cycle. But honestly, I don’t care I have felt so wonderful for the past 8 days that it is worth a little crying during a Hallmark commercial.
And as far as my sex drive, WOW off the charts, that is why I had to drop it down to 25mg, because at 50gm I couldn’t leave the house or the bedroom for that matter …
I did find that it works best 1st thing in the morning before my workout,(empty stomach) because I had too much energy when i was taking it before bed. Does this sound correct?
My muscles feel tight and strong and the energy level is fantastic……
Keep up the great work.

I would love to order the Life Ex DHEA but I don’t believe I can have it shipped to Canada. Is there anything else as far as supplementation or foods that would increase DHEA levels if I can’t get the product here.

This is fabulous! I’m a 35 yr old female with 4 kids, that has recently plunged into the world of extreme sports (Muay Thai, MMA). I have been training my head off for some years now, and because of my responsibilities have struggled to maintain balance in both diet, mental and physical.
I heard about DHEA and mainly avoided it in the past because I try to keep my body as clean as possible and don’t want to mess with the hormones, but my inability to sleep at night, reoccurring respiratory infections, slow muscle recovery, despite eating a high protein, lower carb (this works for me generally speaking), and supplementing out the ying-yang, I was unable to feel better.
I decided experiment, after reading your article and took 1/2 dose (about 12 mg DHEA) last night before going to bed—I slept for a couple hours, woke up like usual—my head spinning with “Gotta Do!” , ate some carbs and took a full dose of 25 mg and was out like a rock for 9 hours straight! YAY!!!
I haven’t experienced sleep like that in months. So, gonna continue. Wish I had a doctor that cared for me in my situation, but it’s military healthcare and they don’t care here —so I’m an experiment in progress. Thanks for your awesome information and recommendations.

I am 42 years old avid runner who over the past 8 months have felt like I was in someone else’s body. I just couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me — in my head I still feel in my 20′s but I suddenly woke up in an old lady’s body. Out of frustration, I finally went to see my doctor last week and had a slew of testing done. My testosterone levels and DHEA levels were almost non-existent so I am on a quest to feel better. I have spent the last several days researching my options and have been reading about the benefits of DHEA supplements. I read your article and went out and purchased the Life Extension Foundation DHEA — I am starting out with the 25 mg dose and am hoping for the best. Thank you for the information.

Hello, I would like to thank you for this informative information! I used to take DHEA for years when I turned 30. I am a very fit woman of 48. I forgot the benefits of DHEA, and decided to give it another try, as I am experiencing some age related hormonal issues. I just started taking it 3 days ago. I am so happy I came across your article, because I had read about some negative effects of DHEA in men. Well…I am not a man, so your article hit home that DHEA is different for women than men! Again, I thank you for your knowledge.
Best Regards,
Lisa Borsella

I start my guys on 25mg twice per day. DHEA just be taken twice per day–every day–because it’s half life is short. But much more than that usually converts to estrogen in adult males. For females, 5-10mg twice per day is about right. For them, excess converts to testosterone. I have successfully elevated E in men (very rare cases) with more DHEA, and T in women.

I thought I would pass this along, off topic slightly, in regards to trainers being fit. A phys therapy woman came to help my father. He did not want to work out much. I warned her he was lazy. She said we are all lazy. Wrong! It gave him the excuse he needed, already looking for a way out. It ruined the whole possibility. She as not in shape at all. She made excuses for him to relieve her own conscience in my opinion. So if one can not or does not want to be fit, then they are not fit to coach others, either. that’s my view on it now. Walk the walk, or get out and let someone else do the walk. And DHEA might help a little there, But I can not take DHEA. It irritates my liver so I have to use identical T replacement.

I am excited about your article, as I have been tested and am low on DHEA as well as cortisol, but was afraid to supplement because of things I had read about weight gain and androgenic effects. Nevertheless I tried it to see how it worked for me, and within a few days of taking just 10-12 mg I have felt some wonderful effects already. My question is: what are your thoughts on the DHEA cream that can be administered vaginally? I’ve read that oral delivery is, because of the pathway through the liver, poorly absorbed and that unwanted metabolites can form as a result. The vaginal, or in the case of a male, rectal, delivery is purported to bypass those issues. Your thoughts?

I don’t have any experience with DHEA used via that route. If it gets absorbed well vaginally, and it raises your DHEA, T, etc reliably in blood tests, all good. Oral route is effective and absorption not a major issue with DHEA as studies show.

I have to disagree w/ you in that DHEA is a female-only hormone. I’ve been taking 50mg/day for a only little while now & its most definitely dropping my bodyfat. That certainly can’t be due to increased estrogen.

No place do I state nor claim it’s a ” female-only hormone” and if you read the article carefully, as well as look at all the other DHEA related articles/vids on the site, you’ll see that. DHEA, being in men and women, can’t be a female-only hormone….

In high doses in men, it can increase estradiol without, or minimal increases in T. Hence, it’s not recommended for men in high doses.

Here’s an interesting story I found on DHEA. I can say personally w/out reservation it most certainly increases androgens.

“One anecdotal story revealed that a 55-year old man recovering from minor surgery consumed 100 mg of DHEA per day. His pre-supplementation blood test showed DHEA levels were 261 mcg/dl and testosterone at 479 ng/dl. Both of these levels were within normal ranges. After a couple months of DHEA use, the man reported that his DHEA levels had increased to 630 mcg/dl, and his testosterone increased to 1,066 ng/dl. He also reported that he felt like a young teenager again.”

Anecdotal stories are fine, but do not trump well conducted double blind placebo trials. The man could report what ever he wishes, but what the cause and effect there is, is unknown. The fact remains, high dose DHEA is a poor way to to increase T and tends to include a big increase in estradiol in men above replacement doses. As a general health supplement that’s dosed using blood work, it’s highly recommended (I take 50mg per day) for men and women. As a “T booster” in men at high doses, it’s not recommended for that use. In women, it appears to be a mildly effective T booster per the article.

Morales and his associates conducted a placebo-controlled, crossover study. In this kind of study, half of the participants received 50 milligrams of DHEA per day, while the other half received an identical-looking placebo pill. After a specified length of time, the group receiving the placebo received DHEA, and the group receiving DHEA received the placebo.

The study found:

An increase in blood levels of DHEA in only two weeks. The blood levels of DHEA were similar to blood levels of DHEA in persons 20 years of age.

Study participants had an increase in the availability of insulin-like growth factor, also known as IGF-I. This finding suggests that DHEA might be helpful for diabetes mellitus by creating insulin-like properties, and also for increasing muscle mass by creating growth-promoting properties.

Mark Winchester Sr.:

June 19, 2015 12:33 pm

The paramount issue here is artificial (DHEA/Test.?Gh etc.) exogenous elevation of androgen levels is not going to unequivocally equate to better strength training results. < That is a highly individualized matter. A man w/ 400ng/dl Test level might gain 25lbs lbm doing the exact thing another man w/ 1000ng/dl Test level might. Even in HRT applications there is a negative-feedback loop which happens in the HPTA when exogenous hormones are introduced to the system and a endogenous reduction of testosterone will gradually occur in every case, even in hypo-gonadal men. The public sees an advanced bodybuilder & automatically think "He's on steroids" when in alot of cases they're dead wrong.

Actually, it’s not wrong (there’s plenty of data to support that) and I’m unclear how the abstract you posted from 94 supports or denies the premise one way or another. T levels are well correlated with LBM. etc, but per articles and vids here, DHEA has many benefits to men and women outside of conversion to androgens.

My point is artificially elevating a healthy person’s testosterone level w/ exogenous administration of synthetic testosterone will not increase they’re resistance training results. Here’s a quote from a man whose intellect is more than your’s or mine combined. The one & only Arthur Jones.

Insofar as I can determine, there is no known drug that will improve the performance, or increase the muscular mass, of a healthy individual. Furthermore, I would like to go record at this point by stating…”I do not believe that such drug will ever be discovered. I think that such a result from any chemical is impossible.”
I am fully aware that some drugs can improve the condition of a weakened individual, in cases of sickness or accident…but I also believe that a state of normal health is possible only in the presence of a very delicate chemical balance that is regulated automatically by the system. If any chemical is added for the purpose of upsetting this balance, the result can only be counterproductive.
In effect, there is no such thing as a “super chemical balance”…if the chemical balance is normal, you are healthy…if not, you are sick…and it matters not whether the state of imbalance is produced by too much or too little of a practical chemical. This has been proven repeatedly in literally thousands of tests conducted with animal subjects, and no slightest evidence exists in support of an opposite result with either animal of human subjects.
Certain hormones will help add muscular mass to a steer, or a gelding…but they will NOT produce the same result with a bull or a stallion. When an animal has been castrated, removing the testicles produces an abnormal situation where normal growth is impossible, giving such an animal the hormone drugs merely tends to restore a normal situation, a situation that would have existed naturally if the animal had not been castrated.
In such cases you are merely removing something and then trying to replace it in another manner; first creating a subnormal condition and then trying to restore normal health.
Yet the widespread bias in favor of such so called “growth drugs” borders on hysteria. Even suggesting that the use of these drugs is anything less than necessary automatically labels you a fool in some circles. And there is certainly no doubt that a lot of people are being fooled on this subject; but you can NOT fool your endocrine system, and when you add an un-required chemical for the purpose of disturbing a normal balance, you are NOT improving the situation.
Pointing to recent strength records as proof of the value of such drugs actually proves nothing. The fact remains that the single strongest human recorded in history established his records long before the drugs were ever used. Paul Anderson established records prior to 1958 that have never been approached and androgenic-anabolic drugs were apparently first used in athletic circles in 1960.
Bob Peoples established a deadlift record thirty years ago, lifting nearly 800 pounds at a bodyweight of approximately 180; today, a very few individuals have reached or passed that level of performance…but most of them weigh nearly twice as much as he did, and some of them weigh more than twice as much.
Men who establish such records are merely statistical standouts, literally genetic freaks; they are NOT the products of drugs, regardless of their opinions on the subject.

Great strength is a result of two factors…(1) individual potential, which cannot be improved…and (2) hard training, which will increase the strength of almost anybody.
But a third factor exists as a prerequisite…NORMAL HEALTH, without which, reaching the limits of potential strength is simply impossible. So you can improve a sick individual in some cases, but you can NOT turn a normal individual into a superman by chemical means. Such a result is impossible, and ridiculous on the face of it.

I have forgotten more about this topic than you or Arthur Jones will ever know. Using him as an example of a person with expertise on this area is a total fail and lets me know you, as with Jones, lack an real formal sci/med background of knowledge of this topic. Hence, I’d ask you nicely to refrain from further comment if you’re going to someone like Arthur Jones as an authority on hormones, endocrine issues, etc. If you enjoy the info on my site, you’re more than welcome to stay and enjoy, but this conversation has come to an end for me.

I have had my blood tests done and my DHEA levels are low ( testosterone is virtually non existent) along with a few other low tests including Thyroid Free T4 10.6 and TSH 0.4
My doctor has prescribed me DHEA – I’m just wondering how long it generally takes to see some improvement in mood, weight loss etc.
Thanks

Is that the only thing that was prescribed or is there additional meds/hormones involved? DHEA is subtle at best, and unlikely to correct all your hormones listed above as mono therapy. Also depends on dose and other factors, so no real answer can be easily given. If it does raise your T levels and DHEA levels in higher normal ranges, some report benefits in mood quickly (weeks) but physical changes would take longer and DHEA alone, will have subtle effects there. If you were put on DHEA, thyroid, and T, then you’d notice major differences fairy quickly. The effects of DHEA as with all hormones, will be dose dependent also.

Thanks for this, Will. And my apologies if this has already been answered in the comments…

There seems to be some debate among doctors over whether DHEA is appropriate for women who are pregnant or seeking to become pregnant, or breastfeeding. My wife is now nursing our first child, and we are looking to become pregnant again soon. But, her testosterone levels were almost zero in two recent blood tests, and her DHEA was 178 µg/dLL, with a range of 84.8 to 378. We’ve been wondering if DHEA (in addition to weight training and ongoing good nutrition might help with shedding the final bit of the post-baby belly and helping with libido, etc., but we don’t want to put either of our children at risk.

Is there any compelling research or clinical evidence that DHEA is safe for someone like my wife at this time?

Frank, there’s also the low T and low DHEA to consider as a negative to her health and well being as a factor in the decision, and you’ll find lots of info on those issues on this site to research the topic.

As long as the DHEA is appropriately – dosed using blood work – then I’m unaware of any reasons she should avoid DHEA and it should be a net benefit to her.

Hi there,
I started taking 30mg DHEA a day due to a deficiency and adrenal fatigue. I quickly noticed my mood was elevated, I have more energy and my libido has improved. I am just 24 so of course have concerns on side effects but so far I haven’t even had a pimple. I think this may finally be my savior! Now just to decrease a bit of body fat